Memories
by tinyrobotlover
Summary: TFP- A collection of oneshots focusing on Starscream and his Trine. I had so much fun writing the flashbacks for Seekers Past, I decided to continue with a few stand alone memories.
1. Rust

**Basically, I loved writing flashbacks for Seekers Past so much that I decided to start writing out whatever idea popped into my head. So this will be a series of onshots focusing on Starscream and his Trine. I might use other characters. I might not. Some might go together. Some probably won't. We'll see how this goes. ;)**

* * *

"SCREAMER!"

Starscream's optics snapped open. He pushed himself to his struts, knocking over a few vials of energon he had been experimenting with earlier in the day. He must have fallen into recharge while he was working.

"SCREAMEEEEEEER!"

Starscream looked around the room frantically. No sign of life. Where was-

"SCREAMER, HELP!"

The Seeker bolted through the door, wings twitching nervously. "Skywarp! Where are you?"

"SCREAMER-SCREAMER-SCREAMER-SCREAMER, HURRY!"

Starscream ran down the hall, checking every room he passed. No sign of his wing mate.

"STARSCREAM!"

Skywarp never used his real name. Something had to be wrong. "Skywarp! Answer me!"

He stopped running and closed his optics. Focusing, he forced his system to slow and his wings to stop twitching. He focused on his spark and, more specifically, on his bond. He allowed his thoughts to fade and simply listened to the pulsing of his spark.

His optics shot open and he bolted back in the direction he'd come from.

Two turns to the left and down a small flight of stairs later he arrived at the entrance to his Trine's personal quarters.

"Skywarp!"

"STARSCREAM! MAKE HIM LEAVE ME ALONE!" The teleporter had a single stasis cuff hanging from his left arm and had seemingly flipped all of their berths over to create some sort of fort to keep someone away.

But who could have Skywarp so scared?

"It's alright, Starscream," came a low, tired and completely un-amused voice from beside him.

Starscream turned to see his other wing mate leaning against the wall beside the door. He had the shadow of a scowl on his face as he stared at the youngest of the three.

"Thundercracker? What is going on?" The tri-colored Seeker could feel his previous panic fading as an all too familiar sense of irritation set in.

"Took Warp to the Medic for his routine checkup."

"And?"

"Rust."

Starscream gawked. "That's it?" He glared at his purple and black wing mate. "YOU NEARLY GAVE ME A SPARK ATTACK OVER A LITTLE RUST?!"

Unbelievable. No. Completely believable! This was Skywarp after all.

"It could be cosmic rust!" the teleporter wailed.

"It's not cosmic rust," Thundercracker deadpanned.

"TC wants to execute me!"

"I'm not gonna execute you."

"Shame," Starscream mumbled. Only Thundercracker heard. He raised an optic ridge at his wing leader.

"Look at him, Screamer! He's out for energon!"

Starscream looked at his bored brother and shrugged. "He looks normal to me."

"He tried to stab me!"

This time Starscream was the one raising an optic ridge.

Thundercracker sighed. "We've been over this, Warp. I wasn't trying to stab you, I was just trying to help you with your meds. The Doc bot said you had to melt the rust with some low grade acid and then buff it out."

Skywarp shrieked and cowered behind his makeshift fort. "See! Now he wants to melt me!"

Starscream crossed his arms. "I suppose the stasis cuff was to keep him from warping?"

"Yep."

The Trine leader rolled his optics. "I'll hold him down."

* * *

Skywarp scratched at the spot on his wing, slightly disgusted by the brown flakes falling from his plating.

Thundercracker slapped his servo. "Stop scratching. You'll only make it worse."

Skywarp glared at him a moment, then smiled brightly. "Can I have another energon treat?"

"No."

"Why?"

"You've had enough."

The purple and black Seeker frowned. After his brothers had attacked him and tried to melt off his wing with acid, they had taken to attempting to quell his frantic thrashing and yelling with energon treats and a gentle wing waxing. Now he sat between them on the edge of their personal terrace, watching as they each poured themselves into whatever data they were reading.

Skywarp turned to his wing leader. "Can we go flying now?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Not until your wing is healed."

Stupid rust.

Skywarp grinned and threw his arms around his wing leader. "Please?" he asked sweetly.

Starscream grabbed Skywarp's face and gave it a good shove, never taking his optics off his reading. He was used to Skywarp's begging tactics and was resolved to resist them no matter what.

The purple and black Seeker smirked. He knew Starscream would play it tough, but he was a pro at cracking his Trine. He glanced at his other wing mate and winked, nodding his head toward the open sky.

Thundercracker looked out over the city, suddenly sharing Skywarp's desire to feel the wind on his wings. He shrugged and looked past his smirking brother to Starscream. "Please?" he crooned, mimicking Skywarp.

Starscream glanced at him out of the corner of his optic. "Seriously?"

Skywarp jumped up and ran to Starscream's other side while his blue counterpart scooted closer. They laid their helms over on his shoulders, optics wide and bright. They smiled innocently at him, receiving only a venomous glare in return.

"You two are pathetic."

"Please?" Their voices harmonized in a sickly sweet kind of way.

Starscream rolled his optics. "Don't take his side, Thundercracker. You know he shouldn't be flying with an injured wing."

Thundercracker sat up. "Rust won't throw him off too much."

Starscream tried desperately to keep his focus on his data pad.

Skywarp saw him breaking down and grinned. "Don't you wanna show me up where everyone can see you, Screamer?"

Starscream's grip on his pad tightened. Ignore. Ignore. Ignore.

But the weather was perfect for flying.

No!

"Please?" they chorused again.

Starscream growled, though he couldn't stop his smile from forming. He tossed the data pad over his shoulder, pushed himself off his perch, transformed in free-fall and shot straight up into the air.

Thundercracker grinned and Skywarp laughed as they followed suit, quickly claiming their places at Starscream's right and left wing.

Starscream mumbled to himself about how he didn't get enough respect, but all his Trine mates knew were the euphoric waves rippling through their bond as they dove and spun through the air.

Skywarp shot forward, bumping Starscream's wing with his own.

The tri-colored Seeker's spark pulsed faster as it received a jolt of warm, jubilance.

"Were you really worried, Screamer?"

Thundercracker tapped his other wing as they soared.

Starscream smiled internally.

"You two are idiots."


	2. Cold Shoulder

**Basically, I imagine Skywarp being jealous of anyone who gets more attention than him from his Trine and I imagine Starscream being slightly protective of his small circle of friends and I imagine Thundercracker being done with everything in life. And then there's Skyfire who just gets caught in the middle.**

* * *

Skyfire shifted uncomfortably under the sidelong glances he received from passing Seekers. He realized that scientists such as himself did not belong in the Seekers' central hub, but he had been invited by Starscream to be given a tour of the place for a report he was writing. The only problem was that Starscream was nowhere to be found.

Had it been any other Seeker, Skyfire would have thought nothing of the absence and simply returned to his assignment back in his own lab, but Starscream and himself had grown to enjoy each other's company over the years and Skyfire knew that his friend would not pass up a chance to gather his own information from Skyfire, being the science buff he was. That being said, to be waiting for Starscream for such a long time without hearing any word from him had begun to trouble the scientist in training.

He attempted to reach the Seeker over a private frequency he had been given, but found no answer. Something just wasn't right.

"Hey, Skyfire."

The jet-former jumped at the sudden and unexpected voice coming from behind him. "Oh," he said, turning around and collecting himself. "Hello, Skywarp. How are you doing today?"

Skywarp smiled at him, though the expression was obviously forced, and looked around the room as if expecting someone to appear from the walls. "You looking for Starscream?"

Skyfire knew that Skywarp had never liked him, but he couldn't help wondering if it would be so difficult to at least try to mask the venom in his voice.

"I am," was the scientist's simple answer.

"Hm." Skywarp shoved him out of the way and began walking toward a door at the far end of the room. "C'mon," he demanded.

Skyfire followed quickly, marveling at how fast these lithe Seekers could be when they were focused and determined.

Wait.

Though he had not had the privilege of spending time getting to know Starscream's Trine, he had certainly heard enough about them to understand that when Skywarp was focused it was not a good thing. He slowed his pace, watching as the purple and black flier put more and more distance between them.

Skyfire's servo twitched in anticipation.

Starscream said his wingmate was the master of mischief, concoctor of chaos and prince of pranks. He took nothing seriously and had a scheme in everything.

Starscream had once told him never to allow Skywarp to take him away from a group of witnesses.

"You comin' or not?" Skywarp asked, standing by a door with his arms crossed and his pede tapping against the floor.

Skyfire looked around. There was no one else around. He could hear no sounds emanating from the next room. He felt his servos begin to shake and tried to still them.

He was standing in an empty corridor with only a few doors placed few and far between. There were no windows here, which was odd for the Seekers, and he couldn't help feeling that Skywarp had a gleam of sadism in the way he was staring him down.

"Well?" the Seeker asked again.

Skyfire rubbed the back of his helm. "You know, if Starscream doesn't have time today, maybe I should just go back to my studies."

Skywarp rolled his optics. "I'm not gonna eat you, idiot. Quit acting like a Newspark and just come with me."

The scientist hesitated a moment, then slowly made his way back to the purple and black's side.

Skywarp smirked up at him.

Skyfire cringed.

"This way, dork face." Skywarp hopped through the doorway and waited.

Skyfire watched him carefully. He stepped through and was startled when the door slid shut behind him.

Skywarp laughed and bolted across the small room and out another door.

The room was little more than a closet. Skyfire heard the doors seal and looked up to see small tubes slide out of the ceiling.

His optics widened in horror.

* * *

"Skywarp, Thundercracker, have you seen Skyfire? He was supposed to meet me in the rec. room almost a joor ago."

The purple and black Seeker looked up at his tri-colored triplet and smirked. "Aww, did Screamy's friend bail on him?"

Starscream glared at him.

Thundercracker, who was amazed when Skywarp had bounded into their personal quarters and asked to play a strategy game with him, and was now beginning to understand why, looked up from where he was about to move one of his pawns and asked, "What did you do?"

Skywarp shrugged. "What makes you think I did anything?"

"You're you," the blue mech deadpanned.

Starscream's glare intensified. "Skywarp?" he asked in a disturbingly calm voice. "Where is Skyfire?"

The teleporter leaned back in his seat with a smirk. He picked up a game piece and flicked it into a new position. "I'm gonna get you, TC."

Starscream clenched and unclenched his servo, talons poised dangerously. His wings lifted as high as they could and his optics narrowed to slits as he imagined them boring holes into Skywarp's helm.

The teleporter flinched at the pangs of hatred ripping through his share of the bond, but maintained a calm demeanor nonetheless.

Thundercracker groaned, slamming his head on the table before him and shorting out the game.

"Hey!" Skywarp exclaimed.

"Do we really hafta do this today, Warp?" came the muffled response.

Skywarp shrugged. "Fine. If you really don't want to play with me, I guess I'll just find someone else." He picked up the datapad that had been projecting their game and turned to leave the room. "YEOW!"

Starscream's talons dug into the sensitive plating of his Trine mate's wing. "You're not leaving until you tell me what you did!" he spat.

**"Attention, Elite Trine Alpha Seven: Seeker Commander Starscream is to report to Med-bay immediately. Repeat. Starscream to Med-bay this instant."**

Starscream did not loosen his grip on his brother as the message played over the speakers for all of Air Command to hear. If anything, his grip tightened. He stormed toward the door, dragging a whimpering Skywarp with him and shot a look at Thundercracker, demanding him to follow.

The thunderer shook his helm and sighed before rising and falling in line with his Commander.

As they sped through the halls, Skywarp tried desperately to pry Starscream's talons out of his wing, but his efforts were futile. Though Starscream was the smallest of the three, he was persistent and determined to accomplish whatever he set his mind to. If that meant ripping of someone's wing, he would find a way to do it.

Once or twice Skywarp looked back at his blue brother in a silent plea for help, but the most he would receive was an un-amused scowl or a frustrated huff.

He tried asking Starscream to let him just warp the three of them to the Med-bay. It would be faster, after all, but Starscream would have none of it. He would dig his talons in a little deeper a grin wickedly as he dragged Skywarp along behind them.

It took forever to get to the Med-bay when walking, but once they had finally reached it, Skywarp was more than relieved. He giggled excitedly, knowing that he could get ahold of a numbing agent for his wing hopefully warp away before Starscream really got mad at him.

"Ah, Starscream," the orange Medic greeted. "The strangest thing happened today. One of my students when to the storage rooms to retrieve some supplies for me and ended up coming back with the body of a strange mech encased in ice."

Starscream shot Skywarp a dirty look.

The Medic didn't notice. "Honestly, we had no idea who he was until we did some digging and found out that you had invited someone into Air Command for an educational tour." He gestured for them to follow as he headed for a stasis chamber on the right side of the room. "We assume this is that mech, but we wanted you to verify his identification. Naturally, we'll have to explain to his superiors how and why he was found frozen. Actually, it looks like someone sealed him into one of the storage units and then dumped a myriad of cooling agents on him. He probably wasn't supposed to end up frozen, only cold." He glanced back at the Seeker Trine, yellow optics landing on Skywarp for a moment. "You wouldn't happen to know who would have had the motive to do such a thing, would you?"

Skywarp shrugged. "No clue."

Thundercracker moaned, covering his face with his servo and Starscream growled.

The orange bot tapped the side of the stasis chamber before reaching out to pull Starscream's talons out of Skywarp's wing. "Would you please check for identification?"

Starscream looked at the frozen face of his friend, wings twitching, and nodded. "That's Skyfire." He looked at the Medic—whose name he could not remember to save his life—warily. "Will he be okay?"

The Medic nodded, attending to Skywarp's wound. "His vitals are stable. We'll thaw him out and give him a good, long powerdown and he'll be fine."

Starscream nodded, looking back at Skyfire. His face had been frozen with his mouth hanging open and his optics wide in fear. He felt guilty for being late to their meeting.

"What's wrong, Screamer?" Skywarp asked with a grin. "Is your bestie giving you the cold shoulder?"

"That's it!" the tri-colored Seeker growled, lunging at the teleporter.

Thundercracker looked at the Medic tiredly. "Hope you're not too busy, Doc. Looks like you'll have another couple patients pretty soon."

Starscream clawed at Skywarp and the purple and black sliced right back.

The Medic nodded slowly, watching the scene play out. "You'd almost think the two of them don't get along."

Thundercracker shook his helm. "With friends like those, who needs enemies?"

* * *

**And there you go.**


	3. The Prank That Was Not

Skywarp snickered to himself as he watched his Trine-mates amble down one of the skybridges that connected Seekerling quarters to the training platforms. They were obviously deep into some boring conversation and were paying their black and purple brother little to no mind.

He could hear voices climbing up into the atmosphere from the grounders that mingled in the world below. He wondered if they ever got to have as much fun as he did.

Skywarp's thin struts dangled over the parapet, swinging happily as he waited in anticipation.

Almost there.

The Teleporter tried to compose himself.

Starscream and Thundercracker's voices reached his audials.

"It wouldn't be the first time a Seeker has attended one," Starscream said.

Thundercracker rolled his optics. "But it'd be our first time, Scream. And I don't think I want to even have a first time there."

Starscream was silent.

Thundercracker blinked. "Wait. You've already been to one?"

"Two."

"Unbelievable!" the blue Seeker gasped. "You of all bots! It's a pit fight, for spark's sake! No self-respecting Seeker should ever be seen at a-"

He was cut off by Starscream's hand slapping him in the chest and stopping him midstride.

"What are you doing?"

Starscream looked down and arched an optic ridge at the shiny, wet substance that covered the floor before them.

"What's that?" Thundercracker asked.

Starscream looked up, gaze landing on the third member of his Trine whose armor glistened under the rays of the sun as though he had just recently buffed himself.

Why would he need to buff his armor?

The Trine leader scowled. "I don't know," he answered. "But I can't help thinking it has everything to do with a certain teleporter I know."

The blue Seeker rolled his optics. "It's just a puddle of some random goo, Starscream. Just walk around it and leave it alone."

Starscream huffed. "As if I would leave anything having to do with Skywarp alone."

Skywarp's wings perked slightly at the mention of his name, though he showed no other sign of interest in his brothers' conversation or the miscellaneous fluid left on the usually pristine walkway.

"Do we really have to get into this now, Starscream?" the blue one groaned.

"You know how Skywarp is," Starscream hissed.

"Yeah, and I know how _you_ are," Thundercracker mumbled. He winced at the venomous glare he received from his wingmate and stepped around the mess, picking up his pace to put distance between himself and the overly sensitive Starscream.

"Hey, T.C." Skywarp greeted from his perch on the parapet. "Why's Screamer glaring angrily at the ground?"

He sounded innocent enough, but the slight curve at the corner of his mouth marked him guilty enough for the smelting pits as far as Thundercracker was concerned. "You should know."

"Should I?"

"What's wrong with you, Warp?" Thundercracker groaned. "Y'know Starscream still wants to kill you for what you did to Skyfire. Can't you just lay off the pranks for a little while?"

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about, T.C." the teleporter huffed. "I haven't pulled a single prank on anyone in a whole orn."

The thunderer rolled his optics for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. "Warp, you're sitting quietly on the skybridge you know me and Starscream always use to go for training—training you missed, by the way—and there's some weird pile of goo sitting in the middle of the bridge that you most probably put there, plus you're all prettied up like maybe said goo did some damage to your finish. You have never in your life looked more suspicious of tomfoolery."

"Tomfoolery?"

"Pranking."

"Ah."

"So?"

"So what?"

Thundercracker ex-vented, willing his nerves to settle as his brother continued in this frustrating charade. "What's in the goo? Acid?"

"Why would we have acidic goo?"

"So is it electrical or something?"

"Now you're just being ridiculous, T.C."

Thundercracker watched him carefully. "So it's just goo?"

Skywarp grinned.

They looked back at Starscream. He was pacing furiously, completely oblivious to his Trine as his mind was solely focused on determining the nature of the odd substance and what possible purpose or function it might have in ruining his day.

Skywarp let out a small chuckle.

Thundercracker glanced between his two wingmates, confused. Slowly he began to put the pieces together and his optics widened. "You really haven't pulled a prank in an orn?" he asked.

Skywarp's grin widened.

"So what do you call that?"

Skywarp thought a moment then smiled. "The prank that was not." With that, he leapt off his perch, transformed and blasted through the atmosphere.

Thundercracker glanced back at Starscream, shaking his helm. "Hey, Scream," he called. He started to let his Trine leader know that he had been duped, that the goo had been placed there simply to make Starscream angry and Skywarp's gleaming finish had been added simply to cause suspicion, but then he realized that with Starscream being so busy with his obsession to outwit Skywarp and Skywarp off who knew where laughing himself silly, he actually had some time to himself. "The prank that was not," Thundercracker mumbled.

He smiled. "Good luck with the goo thing, Starscream. I'm going to get some energon."

Starscream didn't react and Thundercracker jumped off the bridge and flew away. He couldn't help the laugh that escaped him as he thought of just how ridiculous his Trine could be.


	4. Don't Tell Skywarp

**Bazinga!**

* * *

Grounders. Grounders everywhere. His wings twitched as he stalked through the crowd.

_"You brought this on yourself,"_ they said. _"You knew the rules."_

Those Elite didn't know what they were talking about! He had done nothing wrong. In fact, he had only done everything right.

He had been determined, hardworking, loyal. And for what? Here he was in the lower levels amidst trucks and drillers and scoops and cranes, his wings clipped in stasis bindings, trudging about on his struts like some common drone. It was positively disgusting!

Of course, in hindsight, he probably _had_ brought this on himself. Taking responsibility for your wingmate's actions and taking responsibility for the actions themselves were two very different things. And Skywarp more than likely would have gotten himself killed the moment he set foot on the lower level.

It was his responsibility to take care of his Trine. He was their leader, after all.

And really, was Skywarp's prank so offensive? So he rigged a cryo chamber to blow in the middle of a Seeker Elite meeting with some High Council members. It only got a little cold and the boom wasn't even all that loud.

Of course the Scraplets that had been being held in the chamber for study did awaken once their circuits thawed and that one Councilman did lose an optic in the ordeal, but really, someone should have informed them of the vermin being kept as lab experiments.

Starscream would eagerly admit to anyone who asked that he still sought revenge on his wingmate after the stunt he had pulled with Skyfire, but he had no real intention of sentencing Skywarp to death by grounders.

Perhaps that was a bit extreme. He wasn't actually in any danger here on the ground. It was simply a humiliating way of punishing his pride. Being sent to the edge of Vos and told to navigate the streets until he found his way back to his quarters might not seem so bad, but the scoffs and mockery that would come from other Seekers would be torment for eons to come!

A truck sped by, splashing mucky acid rain and oil all over the lithe Seeker. Starscream moaned and imagined himself shaking the grime into Skywarp's energon rations.

He smiled at that.

Spotting a maintenance crew up ahead, he quickened his pace. Surely they would be willing to offer such magnificence as himself a simple solvent. As much as he would love forcing Skywarp to drink filthy energon, he had no intention of parading himself all the way through Vos and into the Seeker Elite towers looking as he did. It would only be that much more humiliating!

"You there," he called, catching the attention of a smaller, brownish mech who had just finished polishing the front of a store and was packing his gear in preparation of his next assignment. "Do you have any solvents with you?"

The mech groaned in annoyance with his back to Starscream. "I repair and polish windows after acid storms. Of course I keep solvents with me." He turned to face the Seeker and quirked an optic ridge. He gave Starscream and once over and smirked. "My, my… Aren't you in a predicament here? Wing clamps and all." He whistled. "What did you do, murder a commanding officer?"

Starscream huffed. "It was only a little maiming."

That caught the maintenance bot of guard. He blinked a few times before allowing his smirk to settle back on his faceplate. "Anyway, far be it from me to disregard one of Cybertron's most valued lifeforms, but, honestly, helping you wouldn't do much for me. I'd have to explain why I'm missing certain solutions and no one would believe it was to clean the armor of a Seekerling."

"Seeker."

"What?"

"Seeker. No 'ling.' Just Seeker."

"But you're so small."

"I'm more aerodynamic."

The mech rolled his optics. "Right."

Starscream tapped his pede in frustration. "Look, your plating is the color of all that is unholy. Help me get this ground filth off and I'll provide you with a full body paint job. Color of your choice."

"And buffing."

Starscream sputtered. "W-what?"

"You heard me, Seeker."

"Fine."

The brownish mech beamed and picked up one of his solvents. He moved to spray Starscream down, then paused. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

Starscream growled. "For the love of… My name is Starscream. I train with the Elite to become commander of a fleet of energon Seekers along with my Trine mates, Skywarp and Thundercracker. My hope, however, is to work my way up to personal bodyguard of the Prime. I was caste into the Seekers, but I often work the system to satisfy my scientific curiosities. If I don't follow through on my word, you can use this information to start rumors of some immanent defection on my part."

The ugly, little grounder started to speak, but Starscream cut him off.

"And know this, little drone, if, after I have upheld my end of the deal, I find that you have taken the liberty of abusing the information I have shared, I will hunt you down, pluck you from the hole you live in and dismantle your pathetic frame piece by piece, starting with your pedes and ending with your optics. But I will not kill you, no. In fact, I will leave you alive on this very spot so that all who pass you might mock your humiliation, adding insult to injury. Are we clear?"

The maintenance bot only smiled. "Aren't you a dramatic one." He sprayed the solvent on the Seeker's face. "Honestly—Starscream, was it?—I wouldn't have turned down even the remote chance of having a flashier paint job. But since you've shared your secrets, I suppose I'll have to file them away in my memory core. Just in case."

Starscream glared at the mech.

He laughed and began to clean the Seeker's armor. "Name's Knock Out, by the way."

* * *

Thundercracker glared at his wingmate as he watched him pace across the room. "You're an idiot."

Skywarp's wings twitched. "So you've said… about a thousand times."

"I mean, I knew you were an idiot when you pulled the Skyfire stunt, but this was just a whole new level of stupid."

"Yeah, T.C. I got it."

"Council members and our commanding officers. Wow, Warp. Just wow."

The teleporter shot him a glare. "You think I don't regret that? Now my turbines are in Starscream's hands and we both know he's still upset over what I did to his dork friend!" He leaned against the wall and slumped to his seat. "He's been talkin' to the Commander for a long time, T.C. What if he has me court-martialed?" He gasped. "Or worse! What if they decide to… ground me?"

Thundercracker rolled his optics. "Well… You'd deserve it."

Skywarp sprang to his pedes and lunged at Thundercracker. "I can't get grounded, T.C.! I wouldn't survive down there! Not if I can't fly or warp away! You know how bad my social skills are!"

The thunderer pushed his brother away. "Yep. I sure do."

The door to their quarters slid open and a very angry looking Starscream stomped in.

"Hey, Screamer," Skywarp greeted, rocking back and forth nervously. "Your armor's looking pretty great today. You get a buff or something?"

Starscream glared at him.

"What's the verdict?" Thundercracker asked, feeling the intense dread of Skywarp slapping against their bond. It almost overpowered the extreme frustration wafting off their leader.

Starscream stared venomously into Skywarp's optics, making him shrink back and look away in shame. This pleased Starscream. He straightened, flexing his wings up a bit. "There will be no punishment."

The others' jaws dropped.

"Really?" Thundercracker asked, flabbergasted.

Skywarp warped to Starscream's side, throwing his arms around his Trine leader and hugging him tightly. "Oh-thank-you-thank-you-thank-you-thank-you!" He danced around the room giddily before jumping out the window and soaring through the air to release his pent up anxieties.

Starscream couldn't help smiling at his wingmate's display of elation and he absentmindedly scratched at one of his wings where the clamp had been.

Thundercracker watched him curiously. "You took his punishment, didn't you?"

Starscream frowned.

"You were grounded for him."

"Don't tell Skywarp."

Thundercracker smiled. "Wouldn't want him to think you cared about him or anything, right?"

Starscream stared blankly at him. "I need to stretch my wings."

"By all means," the blue Seeker said, gesturing at the window. He and Starscream ran for it, transformed and barreled through the sky.

It didn't take long for them to find the teleporter and they made a beeline to catch up with him.

"But seriously," Starscream said before they were close enough for the third member of their Trine to hear. "If you tell him, you die."

Thundercracker chuckled. "Whatever you say, Starscream."

Down below, a shiny, red mech was waving up at the Trine.

"Who's that?" Thundercracker asked.

Starscream mumbled, "Someone I hope to never have to speak to again."

* * *

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